The Lunar Wars
by ShadowSteel18
Summary: Equestria is thrown in to chaos just one week after the Royal Canterlot Wedding when the Lunar Republic show themselves and starts to take revenge on Celestia. It's up to Twilight to save Equestria from certain doom. But she can't do it alone. There is an Fan Character shipping in this fan-fic and some lemons later on.
1. A Shadow in the Forest

The Lunar Wars

Chapter 1: A Shadow in the Forest

Author Note: The idea for this fan-fic came about late in my Senior Year in High School (though I was/am still a Senior at the time this was written). Shadow Star, Adam, and Rebecca acutely got their start in my story called "Dimensions", which is only on deviantART (look for AppleDash22 on deviantART and you will find "Dimensions"). I wanted to expand their story so I came up with this. Thought those three are taken out of "Dimensions", the idea for the Assassin Brotherhood came from watching my 9 year old brother play Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. I'll try to expand more on the Assassin Brotherhood idea throughout the story, so bare with me. Also this fan-fic references "Apple in the Wind" and a new fan-fic "Legends of Soleanna".

-(Prologue)-

In the year 1000 a war broke out between the Lunar Republic and the Celestial Armies. The war lasted only 8 months and ended with the banishment of the Leader of the Lunar Republic, Nightmare Moon.

Even though her banishment lasted 1000 years and has returned as Princess Luna, remnants of the Lunar Republic remained to this day.

It is rumored that one of the old commandant from the Lunar Wars, as it later became known, still lives in the shadows of the Everfree Forest.

-(Chapter 1)-

It had been at least a week since the events of the Royal Canterlot Wedding, and Twilight had been have reoccurring vision of the Lunar Wars as well as a faceless enemy. She knew that there was a reason for these visions. She started to wonder if the answers to these visions were in the Everfree Forest. Soon she decided to go to the place where it all began for her and the others to find the answers.

Early the next morning Twilight headed out into the Everfree. She had packed her saddlebags with food, water, and a few things her older brother had given her in case of an emergency.

It wasn't long until she was half way to the temple ruins where she found the Elements of Harmony. It was then that she noticed that other ponies had been around area recently. This started to worry her; she had heard from her older brother, Shining Armor, that there had been signs of a "rebellion" starting to form in the Everfree and that they would attack anypony who sided with Celestia.

When she got to the foot of the temple ruins she was shocked to see that somepony had been in there within the past week. "Well… here goes nothing," she said to herself. She walked up the temple steps and enter the camber where she had found the Elements.

What she found was nothing more than horrifying to her; there were crates of weapons stacked up to the ceiling, over a hundred suites of armor, and at least six flags folded up near the window. Curious, she walked up to the flags and unfolded one of them. What she saw was the insignia of the Lunar Republic. Horrified she dropped the flag and slowly backed away.

"No… No… It can't be," she said in disbelief. "It is," a voice said from behind. She immediately turned to face the mystery stallion. He had a pitch black coat, a black mane with crimson red streaks running through it, and crimson red eyes. He was a unicorn, like Twilight, that had a similar cutie mark, though it was blood red and didn't have the smaller stars around what was a star with only four ends.

Twilight started to go for one of the defense weapons her brother gave her, but before she could the black stallion's horn glowed a blood red color as he cast a spell on Twilight so she couldn't move. "Ugh… You… Know… Black… Magic…" The stallion started to walk around Twilight. "Ugh… Just who are you?" she asked. the stallion rolled his eyes and said, "I should be asking you the same question."

Twilight was struggling to use her magic to counter the holding spell that this stallion was using on her. Suddenly the stallion released her and said, "If you want some answers, then I suggest you keep your defense weapons where they are." Twilight didn't like this one bit, but she had no choice. She was being given an opportunity to stop a "Rebellion" in its tracks, she couldn't pass it up.

"I guess you want to know who I am?" Twilight asked.

"If you please," the stallion said.

"My name is Twilight Starla Sparkle. I am a student of Princess Celestia, and my duty to report this Rebellion to her majesty," she announced.

The stallion laughed at Twilight's little display. "Celestia will have a tough time defeating this 'Rebellion' if she doesn't have her Celestial Army," she said. Twilight took offence to this. "My name is Shadow Star. My dad is the leader of this Lunar Republic. Though I don't want any part of this," the stallion. Twilight now had a quizzical expression on her face. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Shadow started to headed to the flag that Twilight unfurled. Twilight looked over to see him use White magic to fold the flag back up. "YOU CAN USE WHITE MAGIC!?" she exclaimed. Shadow turned to Twilight and looked at her with a melancholy look on his face. "I'm the only one in my family that can use White Magic. My dad never intended to learn it, and my mom could never use it," he explained.

Twilight now understood why Shadow Star didn't want to be a part of the Lunar Republic. He could do all the same things that she could do, but had an rare trait. That rare trait was his coat and mane color. It wasn't common for a pony to have a black coat or crimson red mane.

"You better go. If my dad catches you, he will kill you," Shadow said. Twilight didn't leave, instead she walked up to the black stallion. "I'm not kidding! You need to go!" he exclaimed. Twilight didn't listen. She started to prepare a Teleporting Spell to bring Shadow to the library over in Ponyville. "What the Buck are you-" Shadow could barely finish before he was teleported out of the temple.

When they got back to the library, Shadow was disoriented from the spell. He wasn't used to the Teleporting Spell and had no idea where he was. "Where… WHERE THE BUCK DID TAKE ME?!" he exclaimed. Twilight immediately hushed him. "Quiet! Spike is still asleep," she said. Shadow didn't like this one bit. He knew he was outside of the Everfree forest and that he was in a town where ponies could see him. But somehow he knew that Twilight had a reason for doing this.

"Ah… here we are," Twilight said pulling out a book from the shelf. Shadow rolled his eyes at her. He was starting to get angry at her for bringing him here. "How is a book going to help you?" Shadow asked, a little annoyed. Twilight looked at Shadow with a serious look on her face then opened up the book. "This is going to help us figure out what to do," she said.

Shadow couldn't believe her; he wanted no part of this war or Celestia. "For the last BUCKING time; I want NO BUCKING part of this!" he yelled. Twilight walked up and slapped him. She wasn't playing, she was very serious. This was life and death for the Celestial Republic. "Look, you want to stop your father, right?" she asked. For a student of Celestia, she was incredibly gutsy. Shadow knew she was the Element of Magic and the leader of the Elements of Harmony, but like other ponies like him, he thought they were spoiled brats. "I don't want to be a part of this any more than you do, but it seem we have no choice," Twilight said.

Shadow Star knew what Twilight had to do if he was going to stay outside the Everfree Forest; she had to report him to Celestia. But before could write a letter to Celestia, he had to tell Twilight a secret that could change everything. He looked over at Twilight, who was now looking for a piece of paper. "Twilight, before you write that letter, I need to tell you something," Shadow said. Twilight looked over at Shadow Star. She was pretty confused on what he needed to tell her.

Twilight put down the quill and gave her full attention to Shadow Star. Shadow Star was impressed by this; most ponies like Twilight wouldn't listen to a pony like him. "Twilight, there is something you need to know about me," he began. Twilight nodded, showing him that she was paying attention. "My father and I have been given the curse of eternal life. My father and my mother led the Lunar Republic during the Lunar Wars over 1000 years ago," he explained.

Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing; Shadow Star's parents were the leaders of the Lunar Republic. Shadow then told Twilight something that would change her opinion about him. "My mother was Nightmare Moon," he said. At first Twilight was shocked, but realized that Shadow Star was in turn related to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. "Then that means you're royalty. You are related to Princess Luna," she said. Shadow shook his head. "I doubt that. I have more in common with Nightmare Moon then I have with Princess Luna," he said. Twilight smiled and walked up to Shadow. She actually trusted him, and believed that he knew that he had some relation to Princess Luna.

The way she was looking at him was embarrassing him. It almost seemed like she was falling in love with him. Shadow Star gave her a serious look. It wasn't that he hated her, it was the fact that a war was about to start and they needed to stop it. "Twilight, why are you looking at me like that?" he asked. Twilight snapped out of a daze and turned her head away. She smiled and glanced over at him. "Sorry. I... I think Celestia and Luna will probably remember you," she said. Shadow Star nodded and chuckled, saying that if Luna had any of her memories from the Lunar Wars, she would definitely remember him. Twilight laughed at the statement and said that Luna would never forget a pony like Shadow.

When Twilight said that, Shadow's mood changed dramatically. He wasn't proud of his heritage. His father was pure evil, and his mother, being Nightmare Moon, had been banished just three months after he was born and given the curse of eternal life. If Luna did remember him it would be nothing good. " Twilight, you should write the letter now," he said in a serious tone. Twilight was shocked; he had been laughing a second ago. "Okay. I-I'll right on it," she said. Though she knew that she had to write the letter, but she also wanted to know why Shadow was so upset. She looked over at Shadow with a worried expression. Shadow nudged his head over to the paper and said not to worry. Twilight sighed and started writing.

It wasn't until after she finished writing the letter and sent it to Celestia, that she realized that Shadow Star had left the room. Twilight looked around the first floor of the library for him, but couldn't find him.

As soon as she finished her search on the first floor, she received a letter from Celestia. It wasn't good, at least in her mind. Celestia was coming to see Shadow Star to make sure he wasn't a threat and she was bringing her older brother, Shining Armor, captain of the Royal Guard. "Oh boy," she sighed.

She started to walk up to the second floor, where her room was, and once again start to look for Shadow. It didn't take her long to find him. He been on the balcony reading a spell book Star Sparkle, Twilight's mother, gave her. He was reading about the Teleporting spell that Twilight had used. He didn't even look up at Twilight as he said, "Celestia is coming, isn't she." Twilight nodded. Shadow didn't bother to look, but he knew that she nodded. He then closed the book and sighed. "Well... I should have accepted this from the start," he said. He walked past Twilight and entered the library. Twilight was in shock; she could believe this was happening. She had started to tear up, thinking she had just sent a pony to his death. "What have I done," she thought. She walked down to the first floor and waited for Celestia.

Several minutes pasted as Twilight waited for Celestia. When she arrived, Shining Armor and two Royal Guards were by her side. Twilight opened the door and let them in. "Good afternoon Twilight," Celestia said. She was expecting Twilight to immediately start explaining, but was surprised by just the expression on Twilight's face. "Did this stallion hurt you, Twilight?" Shining Armor asked. Twilight didn't say a thing, and Shining Armor immediately took it the wrong way. "See! I took you that these ponies can't be trusted!" he exclaimed. Celestia gave Shining Armor a serious look then looked back at Twilight. "May we see this stallion, Twilight?" Celestia asked. Twilight slowly nodded and walked up the stairs to fetch Shadow Star.

A few minutes pasted before Twilight came down with Shadow Star in tow. The expression on Shadow's face was one of understanding. He knew what was coming to him. He knew he would probably be sent to jail for the rest of his life, which was literally an eternity. "Twilight, could we be alone?" Celestia asked. Twilight walked back upstairs, keeping a close eye on Shining Armor and the Royal Guards. It was the first time that Twilight didn't trust Celestia or her older brother.

Celestia looked over Shadow Star carefully. She knew he wasn't a threat, in fact she was testing both Shadow Star and Twilight. She had been told by one of her Military Advisors to do so on her behalf. The problem was that Celestia didn't tell Shining Armor or the Royal Guards what she was planning on doing. "Well Shining Armor, do you think he is a threat?" Celestia asked. Shining Armor looked at Shadow Star intently. "I know I shouldn't let my personal opinion get in my way, but I don't trust his kind. He is the son of the leader of the Lunar Republic, so he is already a major threat to the safety of the Celestial Republic," he said. Celestia nodded. Though she knew that his father was the real threat to the Celestial Republic, not him. "Very well. If you believe he is a threat, then you may take him into custody. Is that okay with you?" Celestia said. Shadow nodded and waited for the Royal Guard to cuff him.

As the Royal Guard came up to Shadow Star, the two Royal Guards and Shining Armor were enveloped in a blood red aura. They were in a holding spell, and Shadow Star wasn't casting it. Shining Armor looked over at Shadow Star expecting to anger in his eyes, but instead saw pure terror. This confused him, he was sure that Shadow was casting the spell. He was the only Black Mage with a clear shot at Celestia. What made this worse was that the spell was starting to strangle them. "I... knew you... couldn't be trusted. There's another Black Mage isn't there!" Shining Armor said. Shadow Star started to back away in fear. "No... No! I am the only Black Mage here," he said. Of course Shining Armor didn't believe him. "Celestia! You have to get out of here!" Shining Armor exclaimed.

Celestia knew who was casting the spell and wasn't worried one bit. She looked over to the stairway, directly at Twilight. Shining Armor and Shadow Star also looked over. The two were horrified to see that Twilight was the one casting the holding spell. Her horn was glowing the same blood red color the aura was around Shining Armor and the two Royal Guards. "TWILIGHT!" Shadow called out in fear. He couldn't believe that Twilight was doing this. "Twilight, in the name of the Celestial Republic you are here by under arrest for using black magic," Shining Armor said. Twilight then increased the strength of the spell to the point where Shining Armor and the two Royal Guards were in pain.

Finally Shadow Star couldn't take anymore of this. His horn started to glow pure white as he prepared to dispel the holding spell. Suddenly there was a bright flash as Shadow used his white magic to dispel the holding spell. When he dispelled it, he ended up disorienting Twilight. Shining Armor started to walk up to Twilight with shackles being suspended with his magic. Immediately Shadow Star got in front of him and started to defend Twilight. "Shadow, my fight is no longer with you. Twilight has done something illegal and now has to face the consequences. Move aside," Shining Armor said. Shadow slowly shook his head. "I will not stand by and let you take an innocent mare to jail. She is not a traitor," he said. Shining Armor was very serious, he had a job to do after all. "I'm sorry, but as you very well know, black magic has been banded in the Celestial Republic since the end of the Lunar Wars centuries ago," he explained.

Shadow was having none of it. He wasn't going to stand by and watch a mare, one of Celestia's, be taken away for something she couldn't repeat. His horn started to glow a blood red color as he prepare an attack spell. Shining Armor did the same, but his horn was glowing a typical pinkish color associated with normal magic. They were just about to cast their attack spells on each other, when Princess Luna stepped in to intervene. "That's enough you two. There is no need for this," Luna said. Immediately the two stopped and bowed. Shining Armor was surprised that Shadow bowed, but didn't question him. "You may rise," Luna said.

Shadow then turned his attention to Twilight. The spell he used to dispel the holding spell purposely made the pony casting the holding spell disoriented for at least several minutes. Shadow's horn once again glowed a pure white color as he prepared a healing spell. He tapped Twilight's forehead as he used his healing spell.

Though Shining Armor was impressed, he still had to arrest Twilight. "Shadow, I will ask you one more time; please step aside," he said. This time Shadow Star wasn't afraid to fight back with everything he had, even if it meant killing Shining Armor and the two Royal Guards. He would take full responsibility for his actions and die for Twilight. "If you want to get to Twilight, then you are going to have to kill me," Shadow said. Shining Armor didn't give it a second thought as he said, "Very well. Guards! Attack!"

Almost instantly the two Royal Guards drew their weapons and Shining Armor prepared an attack spell. Shadow Star began casting the most powerful black magic attack spell he could cast. The two Royal Guards charged at Shadow, but Celestia and Luna stood in the way. "Shining Armor! Stand down!" Celestia ordered. The Guards dropped their weapons, but Shining Armor and Shadow Star kept their spells ready. "Shining Armor, I order yo to stand down!" Celestia ordered. Shining Armor still kept the spell ready. "If he is willing to die for a traitor of the Celestial Republic, then I have no choice," he said. Shadow Star wasn't about backdown either. He would not hesitate to kill Shining Armor to allow Twilight to escape to safety.

Finally Twilight couldn't take it, she didn't want either one of them to die. She tackled Shadow Star, tears in her eyes. "Shadow, please stop! I did what I did to allow you to be free! I wasn't about to let you die! You don't deserve to die!" she cried. Shadow decided not to cast the spell and started to calm down. Twilight smiled as tears flowed from her eyes. "Thank you," she sniffled. She then got up off Shadow and allowed the two Royal Guards to cuff her.

Shining Armor never dropped his guard and kept a close eye on Shadow Star, keeping his spell at the ready. "Celestia, I will allow you to deal with him while I take Twilight outside," Shining Armor said. He then took Twilight outside. Shadow looked over at Celestia. She was obviously upset by the whole thing, but for another reason. Shadow Star walk up to Celestia and stood up straight. "Celestia, I beg you. Don't punish Twilight for something that is my fault. I will take full responsibility for her actions. Give me her punishment. Give me the death penalty," he said. Celestia turned to Shadow and explain that she was still a threat and that she would have to have the Royal Guard keep an eye on her. "No! She doesn't mean any harm to the Celestia Republic. Plus if she receives the death penalty, the Lunar Republic will take the chance to attack. If Twilight is killed, both the Elements of Harmony and the Celestial Republic will be in disarray. It will be the perfect time for my father to begin the war," Shadow explained. Celestia and Luna looked at each other and nodded. They knew this from the start; they knew it would cause more chaos than Discord could ever create.

It was at that point that Shining Armor walked back in the room. He told Celestia that Twilight was properly restrained and was ready to receive her trial. "Shining Armor, there has been a change in plans. Twilight is to be released and Shadow Star will take her punishment," Celestia said. Shining Armor was a little confused on the sudden change. He was thinking of what would happen if Twilight were convicted and sentenced to death, but he followed through with the order.

He then came back, Twilight still cuffed. Shining Armor took the shackles off Twilight and approached Shadow Star. "Wait. I just thought of something. If we arrest either you or Twilight, either way we will provoke a war with the Lunar Republic," Celestia said. Luna nodded and all at once Twilight, Shining Armor, and Shadow Star were taken aback.

They hadn't realized that either way, the Lunar Republic would either a reason to start the war or a better chance of gaining an advantage. "So you were never going to arrest us," Twilight said. Celestia nodded and explained that she had been told by her Military Advisor to see if Shadow Star protected Twilight and vice versa. "I'm guessing you got this information from the Deserters of the Lunar Republic," Shadow said. Twilight and Shining Armor were shocked.

Shining Armor had heard rumors of these deserters in Canterlot, especially within the Royal Guard. The weirdest part about these rumors were that some of these deserters would end up being a part of the Royal Night Guard. Twilight on the other hand couldn't believe that there were others like him. That there were ponies that wanted no part of the Lunar Republic.

Meanwhile Shadow was waiting for an answer from Celestia, and answer he got wasn't what he was expecting. "No. My Military Advisor is the only one with this information," Celestia said. Shadow nodded. He had a feeling of who that Military Advisor was. "There is an infamous relative called 'The Pretender'. I'm guessing that she is the Military Advisor that had informed you about me," Shadow said. Luna smiled and approached Shadow. "I believe you're referring to Alexandria, aren't you," she said. Shadow nodded. Twilight was a little confused, but Shining Armor knew this Military Advisor personally.

"Twilight, I believe it is time for us to leave. Shadow Star has and will be allowed to walk freely outside the Everfree Forest. If anypony reports to me or the authorities, I will promptly inform them that he is a free pony; that he is not a traitor. Shadow Star and Twilight Starla Sparkle, please come to Canterlot Castle within the next few days with the others. I have a few things I need to talk to you about," Celestia decreed.

Shadow Star and Twilight Sparkle bowed and thanked Celestia for her decision. "We will see you at Canterlot in a few days," Shadow said. Celestia smiled and lowered her head to Shadow's face. "I know about the Brotherhood. If you can, please bring some of them along," Celestia said. Shadow Star nodded and said that he would try. The problem was that the so-called "Brotherhood" only out for themselves. They would never and were never ordered by the Lunar Republic or the Celestial Republic.

As Celestia and Luna left, Shining Armor walked up to Twilight. "If he betrays your trust or hurts anypony other than the Lunar Republic, don't hesitate to call me," he said. Twilight nodded, knowing in her head Shadow wasn't ever going to harm anypony. She waved good-bye to Shining Armor and wished him luck with Mi Amore Cadenza, Princess Cadence. Shining Armor laughed and said that they were going to need it. "Why is that?" Twilight asked. Shining Armor smiled and said they would tell her when she got to Canterlot.

Shining Armor left after that and Twilight and Shadow were finally alone. Shadow Star looked over at Twilight and smiled. "Thank you Twilight. Thank you for what you did," he said. Twilight smiled and walked up to Shadow. She then held him closely. "Thank you. Thank you for standing up for me. For being by my side. Thank you Shadow," she said. Shadow returned the embrace and the two hugged each other for a few minutes.

It was then Twilight noticed something on Shadow's right front hoof. It was a branding mark and an unusual one at that. Shadow noticed that Twilight had spotted his crest and broke off the hug. He looked at Twilight with a deadly serious look in his eyes. "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted," he said.

Before Twilight could even ask what he was saying, Shadow Star darted out the door and headed straight for the Everfree. Twilight grabbed her saddle bags and ran after him. In those saddle bags was a dagger and some throwing knives that her father used to own.

As she cased after Shadow, she couldn't believe how agile he was. As she got near the Everfree Forest, she ended up losing him. She slowly and cautiously walked deep into the Everfree. Every so often she would rustling in the trees, as if something was jumping from tree to tree, following her. She was starting to get a little scared. "Shadow! This isn't funny! Where are you?!" Twilight yelled. Shadow started to laugh, which spooked Twilight. She couldn't see him at all. "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted. We work in the shadows to serve the light. That is our creed," Shadow said. Twilight pulled out her dagger that had the same crest that was burned on Shadow's right front leg. She prepared to defend herself. She was starting to believe Shadow had played her. "SHOW YOURSELF!" she yelled.

Suddenly, in a matter of seconds, Shadow Star had pined her to the ground and had turned the dagger against her. She was frozen with fear as the dagger was held inches from her throat. Twilight looked into his eyes expecting to see a murderess intent. She was surprised to see that he had no intention of killing her. After awhile Shadow got up off Twilight. He then handed the dagger back to her. "Are you crazy!? You could've killed me!" she yelled. Shadow Star started to laugh. "But I didn't. I was trying to show you how vulnerable you were," he said.

Twilight didn't believe a word he said. The way he attacked her would've caught anypony off guard. She was giving him a skeptical look as she put the dagger back in her saddle bag. Shadow rolled his eyes. "I'm telling the truth Twilight," he said. Twilight's expression didn't change as she shook her head. "Then what was with that thing you said?" she asked. Shadow looked back at Twilight and got in Her face. The look on his face was deadly serious. It was actually starting to scare her a little. "What I said is something that I live by. It is the creed that we follow. I was told never to forget it," he said. He ended up backing her into a tree. The look in Shadow's face was something Twilight had never seen before.

Soon he let Twilight get up as he got his bearings. He then smiled and looked over at Twilight. "We're not too far from where I was taught. Do you want to go there? It's not a Lunar Republic place," Shadow said. Twilight was a little curious on why Shadow asked this. If he was taught outside the Lunar Republic, what was he taught. "Um... okay, but why?" she asked.

Shadow went into her saddle bag and pulled out the dagger. He showed her the crest on the handle, then pointed to his right front leg. He asked her if the dagger was a part from the family. Twilight said that it was her father's dagger, and he had been a General in the Equestrian Royal Army after the recent skirmish with the Lunar Republic 30 years ago. She said that she thought the crest was from the Equestrian Royal Army, but now starting to realize that it was the crest for something else.

Finally Shadow asked if Twilight knew her father very well. At this point Twilight was getting a little annoyed by all the questions. "Like I said before; he was a General in the Equestrian Royal Army. He was barely around after I was born, in fact I never met him. My mom found the dagger and some throwing knives from my father's room, and gave them to my brother to give to me," she explained. Shadow smiled and turned to the north. "If you want to know a little more about your father, then you should come with me," he said. Twilight was a little skeptical about this, after all her father was loyal to Celestia, at least that is what her mother said. But she was curious about her father, and decided to go with Shadow. "Alright, I'll go with you. But if this is a trap, Celestia with arrest you and kill you," she said. Shadow chuckled and promised Twilightthat this wasn't a trap.

They walk north for a couple of miles until they reach a clearing where a camp had been built. In the center there was a 100 foot watchtower with a banner bearing the same crest that was on Twilight's dagger. The camp was far enough away where it wasn't able to be seen from Canterlot Castle. As Twilight looked around, she saw a blacksmith, a healer, and a mess hall. There were only two types of ponies; ones with a pure white coat and ones with a pure black coat. The ones with a pure white coat were wearing what seemed to be white robes with hoods that only covered their eyes. They wore a bracer on either the right or left front hoof, sometimes they would wear two. They also had a red cape that bore the crest. On the other hand, the ponies with a pure black coat wore the same thing, only the robe was black instead of white. "What is this place?" Twilight asked. Shadow smiled and turned around. "Twilight, this is the Assassin Brotherhood," he said.

Twilight was in awe; for years she was told that "The Brotherhood" had been disbanded in 1507, after an assassination of a councilmen in the Celestial Republic. Shadow Star laughed at how naive Twilight was being; how she ended up saying that this camp was probably the last one. "Twilight, there are at least 20 of these camps across Equestria. This is only the Ponyville Chapter," Shadow said. He then took Twilight to the blacksmith and got her fitted for what she thought was a bracer. As she was fitted, she looked over at Shadow. "So... why are you getting me fitted for a bracer?" Twilight asked. The blacksmith laughed and Shadow rolled his eyes. "It's not a bracer, it's a hidden blade. I have a feeling that your father was an assassin, and so I think you have the potential for becoming a great assassin," Shadow explained.

He expected Twilight to be against the idea; assassinating was illegal in the Celestial Republic. He was surprised to see that Twilight was asking more questions. "So that crest on your right front hoof, is that the assassin's crest?" she asked. Shadow smiled and nodded. "And what you were saying, is that their motto?" Twilight asked. Shadow nodded again. "Yes, that is the Assassin's Creed: Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted. We work in the shadows to serve the light," he said.

Twilight was impressed by how dedicated Shadow was toward the Assassin Brotherhood. She knew that if she joined the Brotherhood, she would have to sever all ties with Celestia and the Celestial Republic. The only ties she would probably keep with Celestia and the Celestial Republic would be with the Elements of Harmony. "Shadow, if you think I could be a great assassin, then why not tell me directly?" Twilight asked. Shadow looked toward Canterlot and sighed. "Because I wasn't sure you would be up to it. I wasn't sure Celestia would be okay with it. I wasn't sure if you were ready or if you knew," he explained. Twilight smiled at Shadow as the blacksmith made the final measurements for the hidden blade. "If I had known that my father may have been a part of the Assassin Brotherhood, I would've been more than ready. Celestia is counting on us to prevent another war with the Lunar Republic. That means we have to do whatever's necessary to to stop the Lunar Republic," she said. Shadow smiled right back at Twilight and agreed with her. "You're right. We need to do whatever it takes," he said.

After a few short minutes, The blacksmith said that the hidden blade would take a few days to make. Shadow then took Twilight to his hut, where he put on his assassin robes. He had two hidden blades; one on each leg. He also had a sword, a dagger that bore the assassin's crest, and a belt of throwing knives. As he looked at Twilight, he was shocked to see that she was blushing.

It was the first time he had seen any mare blush. "Twilight? Are you okay?" he asked. Twilight snapped out of a daze and looked at Shadow. "Yeah... I'm fine. I'm just a little impressed," she said. Shadow walked up to her and smiled. He knew that Twilight was impressed, but he knew that she was blushing for another reason. "Alright Twilight, what do you think?" he asked. Twilight gave a soft smile as she looked at him. "You look like a true warrior," she said.

Shadow was thrown off by Twilight's smile; the way she was looking at him gave Shadow the impression that she was falling for him. It just so happens to be that love between a pony of the darkness (Shadow Star) and a pony of the light (Twilight Sparkle) is forbidden. Shadow wasn't even sure that Celestia would approve of this. He knew his father would kill him, but his father was already going to kill him for betraying the Lunar Republic. Shadow sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, should we head back to the blacksmith. He should know by now how exactly long it will take to make your hidden blade," he said. Twilight nodded. "Yes, let's go," she said.

It turned out that the blacksmith was already working on the blade and said it would take at least four to five days. Shadow and Twilight agreed to come back in a week to pick up the hidden blade. They then left for Ponyville and the library.

When they got back to the library, they saw Spike cleaning up the books that Twilight had scattered across the floor. He briefly looked up at Twilight then went back to cleaning. "Oh hey Twilight. Where have ya been?" Spike asked. Twilight figured that Spike had been awake since ten or eleven o'clock in the morning. "Spike, I want you to meet somepony. This is Shadow Star," Twilight said. Spike looked up again and saw Shadow Star. He was still wearing his assassin's robe and his cape. His sword was in his sheath and the dagger at his side. "Hello, it's nice to meet you, Spike," Shadow said. Spike was a little nervous, but he knew if Twilight trusted him, so could he. "Hey," he said in return.

Shadow laughed at the simple return. He knew Spike was nervous, maybe even scared of him; after all he considered himself a Black Mage. Spike wasn't sure why Shadow was laughing; he was nervous, that's all. Twilight was a little confused, but soon realize why Shadow was laughing. "I'm sorry. It's just every pony I run into is terrified by me. Even my own kind view me as a freak," Shadow laughed. Twilight wasn't laughing. She couldn't believe how Shadow was treating the whole situation. Spike, on the other hand, liked how easy going Shadow was. He had never met many ponies like Shadow, but if the ones he met were like him, he would like that. "Hey Shadow! Are there any other ponies like you? You know personality wise," Spike asked.

Shadow knew two black coated earth ponies that shared his values. He was good friends with them and knew their mother. "Yeah... There are these-" that was all Shadow could get out before he heard a familiar voice. "Hey Shadow! Are ya in there?!" the pony called out. Twilight rushed to the window to see who was out there. She was shocked to see two black coated earth ponies out in broad daylight. One was an 18 year old stallion, the other was a 14 year old mare. Twilight swung open the door, a little annoyed. "Get in here! Both of you!" she yelled. The stallion just laughed and nudged the 14 year to get into the library. Twilight could tell that the 14 year old mare knew that they weren't suppose to be there.

The first thing the stallion noticed when he and the mare got into the library was Shadow in his assassin robes. "Whoa! Shadow! What's with the outfit?" he asked. Shadow just put his hoof to his face. He knew the stallion, ironically he was the stallion that Shadow was going to tell Spike about. "Well Adam, if you remember, I told you I was a part of the Assassin Brotherhood. These are my assassin robes," Shadow said. Shadow Star and the 18 year old stallion started to argue for about a couple minutes. Twilight and Spike looked at each other a little confused. "Do ya think they're always like this?" Spike asked. Twilight shrugged her shoulders. "It does look like they have their differences," she said.

After a while of arguing, Shadow put his hoof to his face and gave a frustrated sigh. He then looked over at Twilight and Spike. "Twilight, this is Adam and his sister Rebecca. Their mother was a pony of the light, and often came to visit them," Shadow said. Twilight was surprised that Adam and Rebecca's mother was normal pony like her, or "a pony of the light" as Shadow put it. She was even more surprised that their mother visited them in the Everfree. "Their mother came to visit them? Wouldn't your father forbid that?" Twilight asked. Shadow nodded and Adam chuckled. "My mom was a little stubborn. No matter how many times Lucifer beat her, she always came back to see us," Adam said. Twilight was confused by who "Lucifer" was. "Lucifer?" she asked. Shadow gave a frustrated sight and said, "Lucifer Star is my father. He was named after an evil god in another world called Earth, but I'll explain later." Twilight smiled as she gave a skeptical look and said, "Yeah, I would like to hear both about this other world and your father."

Finally Twilight turned her attention to Adam and Rebecca. "So, their mother came to visit them often, and by the sound of things they come out of the Everfree in broad daylight almost all the time," Twilight said. Shadow nodded. "Adam drags Rebecca with him outside the Everfree all the time. Most of the time they're at the northern edge of Sweet Apple Acres," he said. Twilight was once again surprised by the way Adam was treating the whole thing. "Yeah, it just feels like home to us," Adam said.

Twilight found this a little odd. The fact that Adam found Sweet Apple Acres home was a little unusual. Most ponies like Adam found the Everfree home, not a place like Sweet Apple Acres. But it wasn't until she saw their cutie mark that she knew why they saw Sweet Apple Acres home. Both Adam and Rebecca's cutie mark were Zap Apples that were surrounded by three normal apples. "Hey. You two wouldn't happen to be a part of the Apple Family, would you?" Twilight asked. Adam and Rebecca were shocked, but Shadow figured Twilight would ask about this. "Y-yeah. Our mom was Alex Apple. She was a light orange earth pony with a blond mane," Adam explained.

Twilight had heard the name Alex before, the problem was she couldn't remember where. "Alex Apple. Where have I heard that," she mumbled. Shadow smiled; he knew that Applejack's mother was Alex Apple. He, Adam, and Rebecca all protected Alex from Lucifer, so in turn, Shadow got to know Alex. The sad thing was that both Adam and Rebecca had no idea that Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Macintosh were their siblings. In fact Adam only knew Applejack from seeing her; he never talked to her. "lets worry about the Alex Apple thing later. We have more important thing to do. Twilight, you need to tell the other that we're needed in Canterlot as soon as posable," Shadow said.

Twilight nodded. She then asked about Adam and Rebecca. She had no time to write another letter to Celestia, and she knew they were friendly. Shadow sighed and shook his head. "We'll have to bring them along. My father already knows by now of my betrayal and now is looking for them," he said. Twilight knew now that if his father, Lucifer Star, found Shadow, Adam, or Rebecca it would be the end of them. Because of this Twilight was okay with this. "Alright, they can come along, but they also have to stay here," Twilight said. Shadow, Adam, and Rebecca all agreed with Twilight.

Twilight asked Spike if he could make extra room for the three of them. Spike smiled and said he would get right on it. Twilight then turn her attention on figuring out how to explain to the others about the visions she had been having. They were the reason for all of this. "Twilight, if you need help explaining to the others, why don't I come with you," Shadow said. It would be easier for Shadow to come along, but she was worried what the others would think of him. Would they attack him or would they hide in fear. She voiced these concerns to Shadow, but Shadow smiled. "I can handle myself if it comes to that. Remember, I'm an assassin. I've been trained in the deadly arts. I won't even harm them," he reassured. Twilight smiled; she knew he had been trained, and she certainly knew that he had the ability not to harm a pony. "Alright Shadow. I trust you," she said.

Trust, something Shadow was never given by anypony, not even by his father. As a result, Shadow had a melancholy look on his face. "Shadow, what's wrong?" Twilight asked. Shadow didn't answer at first. "Shadow?" Twilight asked. There was a worried tone in her voice; one of caring. "I'm fine. We better get going," Shadow finally said. As he went to the door, Twilight grabbed him and pulled him back. "Oh no you don't. Something was wrong. You wouldn't have been like that if you were okay. Now what's wrong?" Twilight said. Shadow didn't want any part of this. "We have more important things to worry about," he thought. He looked over at Twilight with an annoyed look. "We have more important business to take care of. We can take about this later," Shadow said. Twilight ended up agreeing to the terms and headed out with Shadow to inform the others of what was going on.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Forbidden Relationship

Chapter 2: Forbidden Relationship

Author's Note: This chapter starts the action of the series, in a small brief battle scene. There is more insight about what the Lunar Republic is planning, and goes

Further into the Sparkle and Apple family backstory. At the time the chapter was written I was/am working on an "Ouran High School Host Club" fan-fic, "Apple in the

Wind - Chapter 3", "Dimensions - Episode 2", and "Legends of Soleanna - Chapter 1" (give you a feel of what I was/am doing.)

Each pony had their own reaction when they met Shadow Star for the first time. Fluttershy's was the only one that Twilight had expected.

Since she was very shy, she often didn't open up to new ponies very easily. When she met Shadow she immediately went an hid for the entire time they were explaining.

Twilight thought that if the other would react the way she was expecting then she could easily handle it. Shadow on the other hand was taught by the Assassin Brotherhood to "Expect the Unexpected". He knew things never go as planned, and every pony was different.

The next pony they went to was Rarity. When she got her first look at Shadow, she was impressed by his assassin robes. She asked him about who made it and where she could get one. She bombarded him with questions, and wouldn't stop.

Finally Shadow lifted up the hidden blade and positioned it so the blade would be just inches from Rarity's chin. With one flick of his hoof, the blade extended; the tip a half an inch from her chin.

He had no intention of hurting Rarity. He asked her if she would listen to them. She said that she would listen to them with a simple yes.

Twilight knew Shadow had no intention of hurting her, but she also didn't think that it was necessary. She looked over at Shadow and asked him if it was really necessary.

Shadow asked if she wanted Rarity to shut up. Twilight rolled her eyes and apologized to Rarity.

Rarity said she had it coming. She knew a pony like Shadow Star was quick to anger. Shadow laughed and said he wasn't angry; he just wanted her to shut up long enough for them to explain what was going on. To Twilight's surprise, Rarity wasn't angry at him at all. She quietly listened to what she and Shadow had to say.

At the end of all this, Rarity asked if she could design an assassin robe for herself. Shadow rolled his eyes and said it wouldn't be a good idea if she made an assassin robe. Rarity agreed; saying that she may be mistaken for a criminal. Shadow laughed and said that she may be mistaken for an assassin instead.

Rarity was a little confused since she hadn't heard of the Assassin Brotherhood, but she played along.

After Twilight and Shadow finished explaining to Rarity about what was going on and talking about the assassin robes, Twilight and Shadow left for Pinkie Pie's house. When Twilight told Shadow where they were going, Shadow stopped in his tracks. "Pinkamena Diane Pie. I forgot about her," Shadow said.

Twilight turned toward Shadow. He had a nervous look on his face. Twilight wasn't sure why he was so nervous. "What's wrong Shadow? Pinkie Pie is always happy to see new ponies," Twilight said.

Shadow slowly shook his head. "She won't be happy to see me. She's part of the Pie Family," he said. Twilight looked at him skeptically and shrugged. "Well let's go. We'll find out when we get there," she said.

They continued to Sugar Cube Corner, but as they got to the front door Shadow stopped Twilight. "Listen, Twilight. I have to tell you something," he said.

Twilight was a little confused, but listened anyway. "My family has already had run-ins with the Pie family. We've been at each other's throat for generations," he explained.

Twilight rolled her eyes and asked what the big deal was. Shadow explained what the "big deal" was. "Twelve years ago, my father killed a member of the Pie family," he explained.

Twilight knew his father, Lucifer Star, was the leader of the Lunar Republic; so naturally he would have an extreme hatred of ponies like her and Pinkie Pie. But she also knew, or she thought she knew, that Pinkie Pie wasn't one to hold a grudge.

As they walked in the door, Pinkie Pie walked down the stairs after putting Pumpkin and Pound Cake to bed for their nap. "Hey, Twilight! What can na do for ya?" she asked.

Seconds after she said that, Pinkie Pie saw Shadow in his assassin robes with his hood up. The only way she could tell what kind if pony Shadow was, was the color of his tail. Almost immediately she got angry, but decided to ignore him.

As they started to explain the situation, Shadow would be told to be quiet by Pinkie Pie. He would barely get even one word out before he was told to be quiet.

This went on for the entire explanation, until Twilight finally snapped at Pinkie Pie. "What's wrong with you!? We're trying to explain what's going on, but you keep tell Shadow to shut up!" Twilight exclaimed.

Pinkie Pie was enraged by this. The tip of her mane was becoming deflated. "Why the heck would ya be with a pony like him, Twilight?!" Pinkie Pie yelled. The more enraged Pinkie Pie got the more her mane deflated.

"Why are you mad at a pony that didn't do anything to you?! This is so unlike you! Shadow didn't do anything to you or your family!" Twilight exclaimed.

By this time Shadow left the Sugar Cube Corner. He felt that he was causing the tension in the room.

After he walked out Pinkie Pie explained, or rather screamed out, why she was so furious at Shadow. "My mom was killed by a pony like him, and I'll never forgive them!" she yelled. By this time, her mane had completely deflated, and her coat was a darker shade of pink. "I was 4 years old and saw the whole thing! I remember everything, even the bastard's face!" Pinkie Pie continued.

She was starting to breakdown and cry; the entire thing still fresh in her mind. Twilight let Pinkie Pie calm down by comforting her. It helped; Pinkie Pie's mane slowly inflated as she started to understand that Shadow wasn't that kind of pony.

Finally Twilight asked Pinkie Pie if she could come over to the library early the next morning. Pinkie Pie nodded and said she would be there first thing in the morning.

It was only after Twilight walked out of Sugar Cube Corner, that Shadow had left Sugar Cube Corner. He was sitting on a bench, and was fiddling with his hidden blade.

She walked up to Shadow and sat down next to him. "I knew it was going to go bad as soon as I walked in the door," he said.

Twilight was just as depressed as he was. She had to tell Shadow about Pinkie Pie's mother. "Shadow," she said shyly. Shadow looked over at Twilight and gave her a soft smile. "Yeah?" he answered.

Twilight took a deep breath and prepared herself to tell her about Pinkie Pie's mother. "Your father killed Pinkie Pie's mother. She remembers every bit of it," she said.

Immediately Shadow got a little angry; he couldn't believe that Lucifer Star went after the Element of Laughter's mother. "I should've known. It's just like him to kill her mother," he mumbled.

Twilight and Shadow sighed at the same time. The two looked at each other; Shadow giving Twilight a smile and Twilight starting to giggle. They were becoming very close friends; they shared similar interest and cared about the same ponies.

"So, who's next on the list?" Shadow jokingly asked. Twilight now couldn't stop giggling. "R-Rainbow Dash. S-She'll be the easiest to find," she giggled. Shadow smiled as he rolled his eye. He was chuckling as he said, "Well let's go."

Twilight knew where to look for Rainbow Dash. It was late afternoon, around four o'clock, and Rainbow Dash had just finish working with the Ponyville Weather Team. She was at her usual spot; taking a nap. "Rainbow!" Twilight called out. Rainbow Dash didn't respond. "Rainbow!" Twilight called out again.

Rainbow Dash raised her right front hoof and waved it in the air without looking. "I'm trying to take a nap here!" Rainbow yelled. Twilight looked over at Shadow and shrugged.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "RaInbow!" Shadow called out.

This got Rainbow Dash's attention. Her eyes shot wide open and she looked down from the cloud. When she saw Shadow she couldn't believe her eyes. "Whoa! No way!" she exclaimed. She flew down to meet Shadow face to face. "You're from the Brotherhood!" she exclaimed.

Shadow and Twilight were surprised that Rainbow Dash knew about the Brotherhood. "You've heard about the Assassin Brotherhood?" Shadow asked. Rainbow Dash nodded and said that her mother told her stories about relatives in the Brotherhood, though she didn't know if there were any relatives in the Brotherhood now.

Shadow chuckled and said that he may know of a few ponies that might be related to her in the Brotherhood. He then said that if Rainbow Dash would listen, they had something to tell her. Rainbow Dash then said she would listen to them.

Shadow turned to Twilight and said, "Twilight if you please." Twilight smiled and giggled a little bit. "Well... It seems that the Lunar Republic is gearing up for another war. Shadow here, is the son of the commandant of the Lunar Republic, Lucifer Star," Twilight started to explain.

Rainbow Dash listened to every word Twilight said, but she already knew most of what Twilight was saying. She was smiling as she was listening to Twilight, because she knew that the Lunar Republic had been active for a while.

Finally when Twilight finished explaining, Rainbow Dash looked directly at Twilight and said, "I already knew most of that."

Twilight and Shadow were once again shocked. They looked at each other with a look of disbelief. "What do you mean you knew most of it?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash laughed as she began to explain. "You of all ponies should know that my mom's side of the family was involved with the Lunar Republic back in the Lunar Wars. We still have some ponies that tell my mom a few things about the Lunar Republic," Rainbow explained. Twilight was shocked, but Shadow, now remembering something, wasn't.

He had completely forgotten that a few members of the Dash Family were a part of the Lunar Underground. "I forgot that some of your family is a part of the Lunar Underground," Shadow said.

Now Twilight looked over at Shadow. "Lunar Underground?" she questioned. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and Shadow sighed. "The Lunar Underground is a group of ponies, like me, that want to stop the Lunar Republic," Shadow explained. Rainbow Dash nodded and smiled at Shadow.

Rainbow Dash knew something about Shadow that Twilight still had no idea of. "It's nice to finally meet the leader of the Lunar Underground," she said. Shadow chuckled since the Dash Family was the bravest of the Lunar Underground.

Though he was surprise that Rainbow Dash wasn't a part of the Lunar Underground, but knew about the Lunar Republic's activity. "I'm guessing you are a part of this," Twilight said.

Rainbow shook her head. "No. I have relatives that are a part of both sides. I think at least two family members are a part of the Lunar Republic," she said casually.

Shadow had a disgusted look on his face. "Why hasn't she report them yet?" Shadow thought. Twilight was just as confused and disgusted as Shadow. She didn't know why Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, hadn't reported to Celestia.

It wasn't until Twilight realized that Rainbow Dash was the Element of Loyalty that she realized that Rainbow Dash was probably protecting her family; that she was still loyal to them.

"Is the reason that you haven't reported them is that you are loyal to them?" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash nodded and looked over toward the direction of the Everfree.

Rainbow felt that she had a special connection with ponies like Shadow. She could understand ponies like Shadow; the ones that wanted no part of the Lunar Republic. She had even met some of them; she had even found some of the stallions cute.

Her two family members in the Lunar Republic were these kinds of ponies. They actually wanted no part of a war, but they couldn't get out of it. They were a part of the High Command; one being a general, the other being a high ranking officer.

Rainbow Dash shook her head to answer Twilight's question. "No, it's not that. I'm always loyal to the family. It's that they don't want to be a part of the Lunar Republic's war. That's why I haven't reported them. The officer always visits me and tells me what's going on," Rainbow Dash explained.

Shadow smiled; he knew who this officer was. "Firefly Dash. I should have known he was going to you. He knows I am part of the Lunar Underground, so he talks to me occasionally," Shadow said.

Twilight looked over at Shadow. She was confused on why Shadow hadn't helped this stallion out of the Lunar Republic. "Yeah... he thinks if he abandons the Lunar Republic, they will go after the family," Rainbow Dash explained.

After Rainbow explained why Firefly Dash wouldn't abandon the Lunar Republic, both Twilight and Shadow had a bad feeling.

Shadow looked over at Twilight and gave her a worried. Twilight looked over at Shadow and nodded at him with a worried look on her face as well.

Rainbow Dash knew why they were worried; after all Firefly has said to her that he has almost gotten caught several times. "Hey, I'm just as worried as you guys. He's family and I don't want him to die," Rainbow said.

Rainbow Dash was not only worried, but terrified that Firefly Dash would be caught and killed for treason. She had know Firefly since she was born. Her mother, Sonic Rainbow Dash, had taken care of Firefly for as long as she could remember.

Though Rainbow didn't know how Firefly Dash was related to her, but she knew he was family.

Firefly was 18 years old and had the same eyes as Rainbow Dash. He had a deep dark blue mane with golden yellow streaks running through it.

Suddenly they heard footsteps coming toward them. They all turned at once to see Firefly limping toward them. He was badly injured and was losing a lot of blood. "Firefly!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She ran toward him and caught him as he collapse. Shadow and Twilight ran to help them.

"They... Found... Out... I managed... To get... Away... But... It's only... A matter... Of time," Firefly said. Immediately Shadow's horn glowed pure white as he prepare to treat Firefly's wounds.

He swiftly tapped each wound, and they magically started to heal. Though it wasn't permanent, it would keep him alive long enough to get to Ponyville General Hospital.

"Twilight! Go tell Applejack what's going on! Me and Rainbow Dash will take Firefly to the hospital!" Shadow exclaimed. Twilight nodded and rushed to Sweet Apple Acres. Shadow then put Firefly Dash on his back and told Rainbow to stay close.

Shadow knew that if the Lunar Republic attacked a fellow Lunar Republic officer, that they were weeding out the traitors and gearing up for war. "It's only a matter of time," Shadow thought. He knew the first thing Lucifer Star would do, would be to kill the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and destroy the Elements of Harmony themselves. Only then did his father have the upper hand.

They ran to Ponyville General Hospital and bursted in the front door. Nurse Redheart was finishing up her shift when the two came to her.

She was immediately taken by surprise by Shadow and Firefly. Though Nurse Redheart was responsible for bringing many of these ponies into this world, none were so bold to run through Ponyville to her. She could tell by Firefly's condition that it was crucial that Firefly was treated right away.

Without asking any questions, Nurse Redheart called for two ponies to bring a stretcher. Then she asked for a surgeon to come to the operating room immediately.

This all happened in a matter of minutes, and by then Firefly had blacked out from the blood lose. Shadow placed Firefly on the stretcher and Nurse Redheart and the two ponies pushed the stretcher into the operating room.

When Nurse Redheart left, the waiting room was dead silent. It was then Shadow thought of something that could help to comfort Rainbow Dash.

He turned to Rainbow Dash and gave a comforting smile. "Rainbow, lets pray for Firefly's safety. I know it's not much, but maybe it will put us at ease," Shadow said.

Rainbow Dash was surprised by this; barely anypony prayed to Celestia anymore. She thought about it for a bit before smiling and nodding. "Yeah... It's the least we can do," she said.

Rainbow Dash and Shadow then sat down and started to pray. "We pray to Celestia for the safety and wellbeing of Firefly Dash. Let his journey be safe and may he be one with Equestria. We pray to Celestia for the family of Firefly Dash; may we not lose his kind soul to the darkness. May the light of Celestia guide your way," they prayed.

Right as they finished the pray Twilight had walked into the waiting room with Applejack. Both Applejack and Twilight were surprised, but for different reasons.

Twilight actually impressed that Shadow and Rainbow Dash were praying to Celestia for Firefly's wellbeing. Applejack on the other hand was surprised that a pony like Shadow was out in public. She had had run ins with Adam and Rebecca, but had never confronted them directly.

Shadow and Rainbow Dash got up and walked over. "I guess you didn't explain to Applejack about what's going on," Shadow said. Twilight shook her head and smiled. "I'm just surprised that you two were praying for that stallion," Twilight said. Shadow looked back at the operating room with a melancholy look on his face.

He was just as worried as Rainbow Dash. "I know him very well. Being the commandant's son I have to know many of these ponies," he explained.

Rainbow Dash looked over at Shadow and looked at him with confidence. "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll okay. After all you help keep him alive long enough to get him here. It's all thanks to you that we got him here safely," Rainbow Dash said.

Shadow looked back at Rainbow Dash and smiled. "Thanks for saying that," he said. Rainbow Dash shook her head. "No, thank you for helping Firefly out," she said.

Applejack was giving Shadow a skeptical look throughout the entire conversation. She didn't trust ponies like Shadow, and she was very defensive about it. "Why are ya with ah pony like him? Why is he here in Ponyville?" Applejack asked.

Shadow turned to Twilight and rolled his eyes. "You didn't tell her about me either, huh?" he asked. Twilight put her hoof behind her head and gave a nervous chuckle.

Shadow chuckled; he figured Twilight would have a tough time explaining him without Applejack being able to see him. Shadow looked over at Applejack and bowed to her. "I'm Shadow Star. I'm pleased to meet the Element of Honesty," he said.

He had done this for Fluttershy and Rarity as well, but the reason he bowed to them was different than the reason he bowed to Applejack.

"Well... He ain't like those two trespassers I keep chasin' off," Applejack said. Shadow shook his head and rolled his eyes. "The stallion is the only troublemaker of those two. I know him personally, and keep telling him to stop dragging his younger sister," Shadow said.

Applejack was surprised; she knew one was a stallion and one was a mare, she just didn't know the mare was the stallion's younger sister. "He ain't a good older brother, huh?" Applejack asked. Shadow shook his head and sighed.

"No, he knows his sister is very timid and shy, but he takes her with him everywhere. Especially Sweet Apple Acres," he said. Applejack rolled her eyes and smiled. "Well, ah guess ya can tell me what ya need ta tell me," she said.

Twilight had tried to explain about the Lunar Republic, but she knew without Shadow, it would be unconvincing. She told Applejack that she "Knew a pony" who could explain everything. When Applejack explained this, Shadow looked over at Twilight and gave a smirk.

"Really Twilight. You had to come to me to convince Applejack," he said. He then chuckled quietly to himself. He then started to explain to Applejack the severity of the current situation. The last thing he mention was the fact that it was only "a matter of time" until Lucifer Star attacked. "He plans to attack tonight," a stallion said.

All at once all four of them turned to see who it was. What they saw was a 51 year old Pegasus stallion with a 33 year old Pegasus mare. The stallion had a black coat like Shadow but had a deep dark blue mane with crimson red streaks running through it.

The mare had a navy blue mane yellow streaks running through it, and a rainbow colored tail. She had a cyan coat, the same as Rainbow Dash, and violet eyes. "Mom! Uncle Crimson!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Twilight and Applejack were very surprised that the 51 year old stallion was Rainbow Dash's uncle. Shadow on the other hand knew Crimson Dash. Crimson Dash was one of the top generals in the Lunar Republic. The information he was given was always from Lucifer himself. His father trusted Crimson Dash with his father's most feared division, The 501st Imperial Army.

"Well if it isn't General Crimson Dash. Funny. You defiantly fooled me and my dad. All these years, I thought you were on the side of the Lunar Republic," Shadow said.

Crimson took a deep breath and looked at Shadow with a serious look on his face. Shadow looked back at Crimson the same way. "He's attacking tonight then. Do you know where?" Shadow asked. Crimson Dash nodded his head. "You probably already know Shadow," he said.

Shadow nodded; his father planned to attack Ponyville, and kill the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

Shadow looked over at Twilight with a deadly serious look on his face. "Twilight, get the others to the library. I'll meet up with you as soon as posable. I need to get some things," Shadow said. Twilight nodded and left with Applejack and Rainbow Dash in tow.

"If you're planning on going to the Brotherhood for weapons, you should better go now," Crimson said. Shadow nodded and ran out the door.

The sun had set by the time Shadow returned to the library. He was carrying weapons suited to each of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. For Pinkie Pie, he got her a new experimental repeating rifle. Fluttershy got throwing knives and a dagger, and Rarity got a beautifully crafted sword. Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash got a dagger and a sword. Twilight had her father's weapons and Shadow had his weapons.

"This is purely to defend ourselves. We will not go on the offensive of any reason. Got that?!" Shadow said. Everyone agreed and prepared for what was going to happen.

Hours pasted before a single Lunar Republic soldier was seen. Finally at midnight, the first wave of Lunar Republic soldiers were seen coming out of the Everfree and heading toward Ponyville. They started to burn down buildings and raid stores for supplies.

They then approached the library with torches in their mouthes. Twilight looked at Shadow and Shadow nodded. He was allowing Twilight and the others to attack.

Right as the Lunar Republic soldiers got within range to throw their torches, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Shadow attacked them. The eight Lunar Republic soldiers immediately defended themselves, deflecting each blow. Shadow and Twilight countered each attack that was thrown at them. Meanwhile Rainbow Dash and Applejack were struggling to defend themselves.

Suddenly Rainbow Dash was knocked down and was about to be killed. "RAINBOW!" Applejack called out. Twilight immediately ran toward the Lunar Republic soldier threatening to kill Rainbow Dash. The soldier turned and attacked her. He left himself open to attack, and Twilight exploited it.

She hacked at his back legs and stabbed him right through the back. She then help Rainbow Dash up to her hooves. "Come on. Get up and fight," Twilight said. Rainbow Dash nodded and grabbed her sword.

After 30 minutes of fighting off the Lunar Republic, they were suddenly being surrounded. It seem like they would be killed for sure, but right as they attacked a booming voice from a stallion stopped them. "That's enough!" he yelled. Shadow immediately knew who it was.

A group of the Lunar Republic parted to reveal a Nightmare Stallion with crimson red mane and blood red eyes. "Shadow, I have always expected more from you. And yet you betray the trust of the Lunar Republic, and your father. Not only are you a part of the very Brotherhood that assassinated many of our leaders over a thousand years ago, but you are a part of the Underground. You are not my son," Lucifer said.

Shadow prepared to defend himself and the others. Lucifer took one look at Shadow and smiled. "But I also know that you and the Elements will be a challenge to defeat," Lucifer said.

Shadow gave a serious smile. "It will be our pleasure to fight you," Shadow said. With a deep booming laugh Lucifer said he would see him on the battlefield. Lucifer then told his troops to pull out and head back to the Everfree.

Most of Ponyville was burning or vandalized. Most of the food supply for Ponyville was gone, and the town hall was in shambles. Everpony was trying to put out the fires. They all wanted revenge and retaliation for the attack.

Immediately Twilight wrote to Celestia about the attack and the current situation. "I can't believe this is happening," Twilight said in disbelief. Shadow walked up to Twilight and put his hoof around her. "Don't worry, we'll get through this," he said. Twilight looked at Shadow with a soft smile. She was looking at him with a longing gaze.

Before she knew it she was leaning in to kiss him. "Uh... Twilight, what are you doing?" Shadow asked. Twilight's eyes went wide when she realized what she was doing. She immediately back off and fell to the ground. "I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. Though she didn't kiss Shadow, she was very close to kissing him.

Shadow cleared his throat and looked at Twilight. She was blushing profusely and she was biting her lower lip. Shadow sighed as her looked at her with the utmost respect.

They both knew that love between a pony of the light (Twilight) and a pony of the darkness (Shadow) was forbidden. "Oh what am I going to do with you," Shadow jokingly said.

This made Twilight blush even more. Shadow's serious personality had nearly vanished in less than a day. He was now smiling and making jokes. It almost seem like he was opening up to her.

"Hey! You might want to write that letter. We are at the brink of war now. It's now up to Celestia to declare war on the Lunar Republic," Shadow said.

Twilight shook her head and brought herself to reality. Shadow was right; it was up to Celestia to declare war on the Lunar Republic. For the first time in over 1000 years the Celestial Republic was at war with the Lunar Republic.

As soon as Twilight sent the letter, she got a letter from Shining Armor saying that Imperial City had been attack by the Lunar Republic. He also mentioned that the nearby city of St. Hoofis had also been attacked. Twilight told Shadow about the attacks and asked him if these were diversions.

"Most likely. My father probably set up those attacks to hide the fact that Ponyville was attacked," Shadow said. Twilight nodded and agreed. "Those cities are some of Equestria's financial hubs. If he wanted to get the upper hand, he would go after the Elements," she said.

Shadow nodded. He knew that his father had two main objectives: kill and destroy the Elements of Harmony, and revive Nightmare Moon. He knew all his father had to do to get get the Lunar Republic at full strength was to revive Nightmare Moon. He knew he had to tell Celestia of the imminent danger to Princess Luna right away.

He turned to Twilight and gave her a deadly serious look. "Twilight, we have to go to Celestia right away. Princess Luna is in danger of being forcefully transformed into Nightmare Moon," he said.

Surprisingly, Twilight also knew that was one of the main objectives of the Lunar Republic. "I know. I've already told Princess Celestia that Luna is in danger. The problem is that the others have gone home or are helping out around Ponyville. We can't go to Canterlot just yet," she said.

Shadow was impressed by Twilight. Most ponies would think that the Lunar Republic was at full strength, otherwise they wouldn't have attack as many cities and towns as they did. Twilight and Shadow weren't most ponies though. They knew what the Lunar Republic was after: revenge.

By now it was half past one in the morning, and almost everypony was exhausted. Twilight started to go to her bed room when she notice Shadow make himself at home on the library floor. Twilight actually felt sorry for Shadow as he laid on the cold hard floor.

"Shadow. You can sleep with me tonight," she said shyly. She wasn't used to having a stallion in the house, much less Shadow. What made this even more nerve-racking was that she was only 15 years old and was just getting interested in stallions.

Shadow could tell that she was nervous, but he could also tell she wanted him to be as comfortable as possible. He decided to sleep with her, but he promised himself he wouldn't sleep in the same bed.

When they walked into Twilight's room, there was only a small twin bed. Shadow knew this would be a problem. "Well. I guess I'll have to sleep on the floor," Shadow said.

Twilight shook her head rapidly. "Oh no. You can sleep on the bed. I'll sleep on the floor. You're a guest," she said. Shadow gave a frustrated sigh.

He knew now he had to break his promise to himself. "Look. We both want the other to be comfortable. So why don't we sleep in the same bed," he said.

Twilight got a little flustered when she heard this. "W-W-What!?" she exclaimed. Now Shadow was embarrassed. He couldn't believe what he said. "N-Never mind," he said. He then walk back down to the library. Twilight shook her head as she tried to bring herself back to reality. "Shadow! Wait!" she called out. Shadow

Shadow stopped and looked back at Twilight. "I guess we can sleep together. Just once. I'll get a bed for you tomorrow," she said. Shadow smiled and chuckled. "You mean 'today'. It's half past one in the morning," he said. Twilight gave a nervous chuckle and said, "Right."

Twilight was the first to climb into bed. She made sure to face the wall. Then as Shadow climb into Twilight's bed, he said something that made Twilight very nervous. "Don't worry. I won't do a thing to you," he said. As soon as she heard that, her heart started to race. "What does he mean by that? Does he mean anything sexual," she thought.

Then as she thought this she was startled by Shadow's back touching her back. She immediately tensed up as she felt his coat rub against her's.

Suddenly Shadow finally stopped moving. He turned his head toward Twilight and checked on her. "Twilight, I'm sorry about sleeping with you. I promised myself I wouldn't sleep in the same bed as you," he said quietly.

As he said that, a calming feeling fell over Twilight. Twilight then rolled over and embraced Shadow. "You care that much about me?" she asked. Shadow glanced over at her. "Yeah. I guess I do," he said. Twilight then closed her eyes and continued to embrace him. "Thank you, Shadow," she cooed.

They fell asleep rather quickly after that. They slept soundly until around six in the morning. At that time, six in the morning, they woke up to Applejack and Rainbow Dash knocking on the door. "Hey Twi'! Ya awake?" Applejack called out. Twilight was still a little tired and Shadow was beginning to turn toward Twilight.

He had forgotten that Twilight was facing him. As he turned toward her, their lips touched. Immediately their eyes shot wide open. Their lips touched for at least three seconds, as they suddenly parted. Shadow fell off the bed with a thud and Twilight hit her head on the wall.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash heard the thump and were a little worried. "Hey you guys okay?" Rainbow Dash called out. Twilight rushed to the window and opened it up. "Y-Y-Yeah, w-we're fine," she said. Applejack didn't quite believe that. By the way Twilight was talking, that something had happened.

"Well... The others will be here in a few minutes," Rainbow Dash said. Twilight nodded and told them to come inside.

She then turned to Shadow. Shadow was expecting her to be deadly serious, but instead she was blushing profusely and wasn't looking directly at him. "T-That was my first kiss," Twilight said shyly. Shadow looked a little disappointed at himself that he did this. He couldn't believe this happened.

"I'm sorry, Twilight," he said. He then walk down to the library without saying a word. "Shadow! Please! Come back!" she called out.

Twilight then stopped herself. "Wait. Am I in love with him?" she asked herself. She thought about this very hard and realized that there was a "few good points" about him. He was handsome, smart, brave, kind, caring, and sometimes even funny. She started to realize that she might just love him. "I can't believe it," Twilight said to herself.

"Hey Twilight, ya comin' down?" Applejack asked. Twilight shook her head and said she would be right down. "By the way, there are two ponyfolk here for ya," Applejack said. Twilight rolled her eyes and gave a frustrated sigh. "It's Adam and Rebecca. They're friends of Shadow," she said. Applejack nodded and said that they've already introduced themselves.

"I've told them that I've seen them over at Sweet Apple Acres and to stop dragging his sister along," Applejack said. Twilight agreed. "Anyway, I'll be down in a second," she said. Applejack smiled and headed back down to the library.

Twilight made herself decent before heading down. She was relieved to see that Shadow had not left the library. Rainbow Dash was talking with Adam and found out that they had a few things in common. Twilight noticed that Rebecca was staying away from the others. Twilight had notice early on that Rebecca was a very timid and was very shy toward ponies like her. Applejack was coaxing Rebecca out of the corner of the room.

Twilight walked up to Applejack and smiled. She knew that Rebecca and Applejack were related, and told Applejack. "Hey Applejack," she said.

Applejack stopped for a second to listen to Twilight. "Yea Twi'," she answered. Twilight smiled as she talked to Applejack, know Applejack would be okay with Rebecca. "Rebecca is related to you and so is Adam. Their full names are Adam Apple and Rebecca Apple," Twilight said.

As Twilight expected, Applejack gave a warm, soft smile. Rebecca on the other hand was shocked. Her eyes went wide when she heard Twilight say that.

Adam had overheard that as well and walked up to Applejack. "You're an Apple too?" he asked. Applejack nodded and tipped her hat. "Eeeyup. I'm Jackie Susan Apple," she said.

Jackie Susan Apple; Adam had heard the name before. "Jackie... Where have I heard that name before," Adam mumbled. Adam then remembered that Alex, his mother, used to talk to them about a Jackie Susan Apple. "Now I remember! Alex used to talk about you!" he exclaimed.

Applejack was surprised by this, as well as a little confused. "How da ya know Alex?" she asked. Adam was a little annoyed by this. "She was my mom. Didn't she tell that?" Adam said, a little annoyed.

Now Applejack got infuriated by Adam's comment. "Wat are ya talkin' about? Alex was ma mom," she said.

It then that Twilight remembered where she had heard the name, Alex Apple. Applejack had talk about her family on their way back from the Royal Canterlot Wedding. Twilight then noticed that Shadow was starting to laugh. "You know the entire time, didn't you Shadow!" Twilight blurted out. Shadow laughed out loud now.

"You just figured this out now? I've know for 16 years that these two are related," he laughed.

Now Applejack and Adam turned their anger on Shadow. "What do ya mean you've known for 16 year. I know you're 1015 years old, and your father is 1021 years old, but ya coulda told me," Adam said.

Shadow stopped laughing and once again became serious. He slowly shook his head as he began to tell them why. "I promised Alex 6 years ago that I would never tell you. She feared that my father would kill you, Rebecca, Macintosh, Apple Bloom, Applejack, and everypony at Sweet Apple Acres," he began.

In an instant, Adam's and Applejack's anger just vanished. Adam now realized why Sweet Apple Acres felt like home and Applejack realized why her mother was so protective of the family.

"She was the only one I know of that would take my father's merciless beatings just to see you. Applejack do you remember a time where your mother came home bloodied?" Shadow continued. Applejack nodded to answer Shadow's question. "That was every day," she said.

Adam and Rebecca had seen these beating. It was those beatings that made them join the Lunar Underground. It was Alex Apple that showed them kindness and honesty. When she lied, it was to protect them.

Rebecca especially remembered those special moments with Alex. She loved her more than anypony. "I miss mommy. Is she coming back, big brother?" Rebecca asked.

Immediately everyone in the room turned to Rebecca, but Applejack turned to Adam. "Ya never told her?" she asked. Adam looked over at Applejack, biting his lower lip. "I couldn't. I couldn't do it," he said.

It was at that moment that Rebecca realized what they were talking about. Her eyes went wide and she started to tear up. "Big brother, what happened to mommy? She is coming back, right?" she asked. Her voice was breaking as she started to cry. Adam looked over at Applejack with a concerned looked on his face.

At that moment Rebecca broke down as she got one look at Adam's face. "Mommy's gone!? MOMMY! MOMMY!" she cried.

Rebecca started to run all over the room screaming and crying. Applejack closed her eyes and took a breath. As soon as she did Rebecca collapsed and started to bawl.

Applejack at that moment walked up and started to comfort Rebecca. She put her hoof around Rebecca, and she embraced her. Applejack started to hum a soft lullaby that Alex used to sing to them when she was young.

This starts to comfort Rebecca. It also surprises Adam. "How'd you know about the lullaby?" he asked. Applejack rolled her eyes at him, which makes him remember that the three of them are related to Alex.

Applejack continues to hum until Rebecca falls asleep. As she falls asleep Applejack looks up at Twilight and asks if there was a bed that she could put Rebecca in. Twilight nodded and help Applejack bring Rebecca to her room.

As they come back down the stairs Twilight noticed that the others had arrived. They then hear footsteps behind them. It Rebecca; her eyes are red and she has a melancholy look on her face.

Applejack gestures for Rebecca to stay by her side if she wants. Rebecca runs up to Applejack's side and looks cautiously at the others.

Twilight gathers everyone around and starts to explain. "Did everypony get some sleep?" she starts. Everyone nodded somewhat still groggy. No one complained thought; the battle had lasted until at little bit past 12:30 am. Most of them didn't fall asleep for a couple of hours after that.

"Alright then. Today we'll be going to Canterlot to get the Elements and possibly guard them with our lives," Twilight continued. Everyone agreed with Twilight, but Shadow.

In fact Shadow rolled his eyes and sighed. "My father is already preparing to destroy the Elements and kill the bearers. Guarding them will be useless," he said. Twilight turned to Shadow and glared at him. She knew he was right, but he didn't need to make it so obvious. "That may be so, but we'll have to see what Celestia wants to do," she said.

Shadow gave Twilight a smug look and sighed. He agreed with Twilight; they did need to talk to Celestia about what to do with the Elements.

"Well... When do we leave?" Rainbow asked. Twilight smiled and said that they were leaving right away. They had to tell Celestia about the severity of the attack. They had to Celestia about the Lunar Republic's main two objectives.

Twilight walked toward the door with the others behind her. As she opened the door, they were surprised to see a carriage waiting for them. When Twilight asked the carriage driver about the carriage he said that Princess Luna had sent it. Twilight looked at the carriage carefully; after all they had to fit nine ponies inside.

As she looked at it she noticed that the interior was bigger than a normal carriage. There was enough room for at least ten ponies and Shining Armor was inside.

He was smiling, knowing Twilight had more than just Shadow to deal with. "So how many 'Black Mages' do you have with you?" he jokingly asked. Twilight looked back at Adam and Rebecca, and took a deep breath. "Two more, but they're earth ponies," she said.

Shining Armor gave her a smug look, then got out of the carriage. He looked over at Adam and Rebecca and chuckled. Immediately Rebecca hid behind Applejack and Adam walked up to Shining Armor. "Shining Armor, right? I've heard good things about you," Adam said. Shining Armor nodded. "Likewise," he said.

Adam laughed and introduced himself. "Well my name is Adam Apple. I guess you've heard that I'm a part of the Lunar Underground," he said.

The two started to laugh, but Twilight and Shadow were having none of it. How could Shining Armor trust Adam and Rebecca and not Shadow. Why were they laughing as if they've been friends for years. It was annoying as hell to them.

Shining Armor felt Twilight's and Shadow's glare burning a hole in him. As he look over at them he cocked his head in confusion. "What?" he asked. Twilight gave a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "How come you didn't trust Shadow when you first saw him, but you're buddies with Adam?" she asked.

Adam rolled his eyes and nudged Shining Armor. He looked over at Adam with an annoyed look, then sighed. "Why don't I explain on the way to the castle," he said. Twilight rolled her eyes as everyone got in the carriage. "Fine," she said with a frustrated sigh.

As she climbed into the carriage she took one last look at the library. She knew it was going to be the last time that it would probably be there.

She sat down next to Shadow and took a deep breath. "It's finally starting," she said. Shadow stared in to space and nodded.

As they flew off toward Canterlot, Lucifer was watching them and shook his head. "I'll see you on the battlefield, Shadow," he said. He then walked back to the temple that Twilight first fought Nightmare Moon and the Lunar Wars ended over 1000 years ago.

The Lunar Wars had started and new adventures awaited, and Twilight and Shadow's journey was just beginning.

End of Chapter 2


End file.
